Nationwide protest: Police avert tragedy in Ikeja, successfully defuse explosive device
A potentially disastrous incident was narrowly avoided in the crowded Ikeja area when the Lagos State Police Command’s Anti-Bomb Squad successfully defused an Improvised Explosive Device (IED).
A vigilant police officer’s swift action played a crucial role in this operation. According to SP Benjamin Hundeyin, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, a suspicious individual was seen abandoning a bag near the Nigeria Customs Service Federal Operations Unit’s fence before fleeing the scene.
The area was promptly secured, and experts from the Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) and Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) units were dispatched to the location.
“Based on the report, a team of EOD-CBRN personnel was quickly mobilized to the scene to identify the object and render it safe if confirmed to be an IED,” Hundeyin said.
He added, “Upon arrival, the object was discovered to be an IED, and the area was subsequently cordoned off. Standard operating procedures were adopted, and the IED was rendered safe and taken to a safe distance for detonation.”
The upcoming demonstrations, titled “End Bad Governance in Nigeria,” have drawn security concerns as the Nigerian Police Force and other agencies fear the rallies may be hijacked, citing intelligence reports.
The rallies aim to pressure the government to address various issues, including providing free education, tackling insecurity, declaring a state of emergency on inflation, and transparency in lawmakers’ salaries.
The West African nation is battling with 34.2% inflation, the highest in nearly 30 years amid a cost-of-living crisis after President Bola Tinubu last year ended a popular petrol subsidy and devalued the local currency
